Dear members

Do you like change? Most of us don’t and we subscribe to the theme of ‘why reinvent

the wheel?’ So we establish a safety zone and don’t take a chance on anything new. Within U3A

we work hard to establish something which feels comfortable for our members (and especially

for Committees). However, rejecting change can create stagnation because things rarely stay the same for ever.

Change can be a good thing provided it can produce positive results, so don’t be afraid to try.

By meeting people from other groups I learned how to adapt ideas. This helped when I was trying to

solve problems within my own U3A. Getting advice from the Third Age Trust helped me to check that the new

ideas were in keeping with Charity Law.

One way to investigate change is by coming to some of the training days provided by the Region, as this

helps to identify ways in which you can keep your groups vibrant and your members proactive. Study days are

great opportunities for encouraging new interest groups. Another option is to come to the National AGM and

Conference where you can participate in activities and discussions with people from all over the UK.

Don’t give up on change. Give it a try sometime. You might find it opens up all sorts of possibilities.

Gill

THE NEW NATIONAL CHAIRMAN OF THE U3A IS:

Pam Jones

There is now a Discussion Board on the website www.u3asites.org.uk/north-west Tab ‘NW News’

Starting my last year as your Trustee I have been looking at the growth of the U3As over the

last 3 years. This year the NW membership has grown 8.4%. Somewhat higher than the na-

tional average of 6.5%. Some U3As are experiencing a huge rate of growth close to 50%

whereas others are slowly

declining. There are many reasons for this decline. I believe that one of those is the absence of

committee members at the workshops that have been organised by the

region. There is an easy remedy, ask someone in your U3A to attend. When I joined the U3A,

unless someone had approached me directly I would never have thought of becoming a committee

member, they did, I did, and the rest is history. U3A opened up a new interest for me and certainly

changed my life. A personal touch is often the key to success .

Help your committee members by encouraging them to attend the membership systems seminar.

This seminar is facilitated by the Yorkshire and Humber Trustee. I have had a look at the FREE U3A

system that has been developed, I am impressed. Not only is it a database of members details, it al-

lows group lists to be maintained, membership reports to National Office, gift aid and Third Age Mat-

ters data to be extracted. It can be customised to your own U3A requirements. A must ‘go see’ for all

database managers, membership secretaries, treasurers and anyone interested. We are part of the new

technological age so lets use it,. The Trust gives you the support you need

Jenny Carley NW Trustee (Third Age Trust)

Message from the Chairman—Gill Russell

North West Region of U3As Registered Charity No. 115 9091

Issue No 38

Sept 2015

Message from your Trustee—Jenny Carley

‘To have and to hold'

An exhibition of vintage wedding dresses of the 20th century,

A collaboration between Heswall U3A and the Williamson Art Gallery.

14th October—30th October

EXHIBITION—Heswall U3A at Williamson Art Gallery

BECCONSALL U3A coffee morning!

Members of the Becconsall U3A group, led by group co-ordinator, Steve

Kirby, all wearing their very unique headgear.

At a recent coffee morning, the members of Becconsall U3A all came

along with some very fetching headgear - knickers to be precise - to raise

money for the Brain Tumour Charity.

Page 2 News from around the region

SHARE YOUR ACTIVITIES SUCESSES AND IDEAS THIS NEWSLETTER

Send your stories to nwu3anews@gmail .com

At the north end of the Wirral peninsula, bordered by the river

Mersey and the river Dee, where it meets the Irish Sea, stands

the oldest brick lighthouse in Britain. Leasowe lighthouse built

in 1763 by Liverpool Corporation Dock’s Committee stands

101 feet tall and has 8 floors. It was operational until 14 July

1908 with the only known female lighthouse keeper, Mrs Wil-

liams.

Also near the north end of this peninsula is the home of Oxton, Prenton and District U3A and within this

Group there is a courageous and intrepid member who stands about 6 feet tall.

Put these two together and this is what you get

It was a beautiful April morning with a cloudless blue sky when Gerry stepped over the edge just in front

of those panoramic windows, he even managed a brave smile and a wave to those friends and relatives

waiting below.

OXTON and PRENTON—Extreme sports

Page 3

TRUSTEE TOPICS— BEST PRACTICE, GOOD IDEAS

Sharing best practice –– Public Relations –– Publicity Materials

Committee

Efficiency

Happy Members

Interest Groups

Participation Culture

Publicity

Media Relations

Corporate Brochure – TBC

Conversations in a Lift

COMMUNICATION NATIONAL WEBSITE

www u3a.org.uk

MEMBERS AREA

PUBLICTY

HANDBOOKS

STATIONERY

MERCHANDISE

U3A in the House of Commons

We have been spotted by those in the House of Commons. Not many U3As are

recognised by their MP. Leyland U3A even before it is affiliated to the Trust was

spotted by their MP Seema Kennedy who wished them all the best in their launch.

Not surprisingly the launch was a success. Well Done Leyand and their steering

committee for great publicity and getting the word out there.

That’s not all! whilst attending Chorley U3As 30th anniversary a week later their MP Lindsay Hoyle,

deputy speaker of the House of Commons spoke about the U3A and its valuable contribution to the country

to members of Chorley U3A.

We are recognised and watched by many - It’s great to be part of such a successful organisation

Well done to Kirkby U3A for completing a Shared Learning Project with Knowsley Council Library

and the Adult Disability Service. Members of the Local History Group spent a frantic three months working

on recordings of people's memories of Kirkby in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, as a small peaceful rural village

(then in Lancashire) was transformed to a new town for Liverpool communities displaced by war damage and

housing clearances. The team was led by Anne Levey who had been busy for two years before the official

project (which was Lottery Funded) began in earnest. She and her fellow members had collected names and

addresses, discovered press cuttings, read local history books and articles and were all set for the off IF the

Lottery Heritage Fund agreed to support the project. They did, and once the funding was in place, recording

equipment was bought, the team was trained to do one to one interviews and the result is phase one of a nine-

step project. The recordings made by Kirkby U3A are now part of the Archive Resource for Knowsley

(ARK) - a community archive that will be accessible to the public through the Library Service.

The Adult Disability Service created an exhibition of photographs showing Kirkby old and new. The

participants were instructed in the art of photography and evidently enjoyed the process immensely. This

complemented the oral interviews perfectly and was on display in the new library.

Kirkby U3A is one of our smallest and still very new but it has achieved a huge amount thanks to the

interest and dedication of the members.

If any other U3A is undertaking similar projects, do please let me know - we can't let the North West lag be-

hind the south of England, can we?

Sue Watkinson Shared Learning Co-ordinator for the North West Region

Kirby U3A—Shared Learning Project

Page 4

Many events were announced in the last newsletter, some organised by the NW Region,

some by Networks and one by the Trust. Booking for these events has been slow. We

need you to sign up a.s.a.p. so that we can confirm the venues. If there is any reason for

your reluctance to sign up then please tell us, much as I would like one for Christmas I

do not have a crystal ball. If we have got something wrong, time, place, content please

tell us. Jenny NW Trustee

DETAILS of

EVENTS

NW REGION

WEBSITE

and

No 37 Newsletter

EVENTS in the NW Region

OCTOBER—5th, 7th, 8th, 9th,14th and 28th

GREATER MANCHESTER NETWORK

STORYTELLING & GROUPS WORKSHOP

Are you sitting comfortably, then we'll begin.....

Date: 5th October 2015

Time: 11.0am to 4.00pm

Location: Cross Street Chapel, Cross Street, Manchester M2 1NL

Booking: Priority booking for Greater Manchester Network members until Friday,

11 September, then open to all NW U3As.

Closing date 29 September. Cost £5. Booking forms available by e-

mailing: storytelling.gmu3a@outlook.com

This is an opportunity too good to miss

Put September 11th in your diary

when applications will be open to NW Region.

Could your Network

organise something similar?

Page 5

Session 1 Oct 7th at Scout Hut Holmes Chapel, Parkway Holmes Chapel

and

Session 2 Oct 14th Quaker Meeting House, 22 School Lane Liverpool

A number of U3As have started using membership systems and others are considering their benefits. The

aim of this session is to explain what these benefits can be and to provide advice on choosing a system

that suits your U3A. The system includes a membership database. Group listings, Gift aid ,TAM

submission and Accounting. It can be customised for your U3A. It is important that you know what is

available from the U3A in addition to other systems. Many U3As are already using the system

This seminar has been rolled out across the UK. Several systems will be discussed. A ’must do’ for data-

base managers, membership secretaries Treasurers, group Conveners and those interested in technology.

To enrol on the course complete the online booking form on the NW Region website or

call Jenny carley 01244680460 for further information.

Closing Date Session 1 Holmes Chapel Sept 14th

Session 2 Liverpool Quaker meeting House Sept 16th

MEMBERSHIP SYSTEMS SEMINARS

CUMBRIA U3A NETWORK ENERGY DAY - FULL

Science Day at Heswall Hall—Gas, Galaxies and Gut Reactions

The Wonderful World of Science—Lectures to entertain, challenge, and inform. Thursday 8th October 2015 9.30 am – 5.00 p

Heswall Hall, Telegraph Road, Heswall, CH60 0AF

Admission per lecture £1.00

(Heswall U3A members free on production of membership card)

Organised by the Rotary Clubs of West Wirral & Mid Wirral for the Heswall Arts Festival

Sponsored by Heswall U3A

09.30 Extracting Gas with Extreme Pressures and Underground Fires

Prof. Denis Hall Professor of Photonics in the Institute of Photonics and Quantum Science, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh.

11.00 Things that go Bang in the Night

Prof. Andy Newsam, Professor of Astronomy Education and Engagement, Liverpool John Moores University

LUNCH

13.30 Elucidating the Mysteries of the Universe through Gardening

Prof. Mike Bode, Professor of Astrophysics and Director of the Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University

15.00 How the Senses don’t make Sense: The Multisensory World of Perception

Prof. Francis McGlone, Professor in Neuroscience in the School of Natural Sciences and Psychology,

Director of the Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour, Liverpool John Moores University

Page 6

Living Well in later life—’Learn Laugh and Live’

Dukes Theatre Lancaster LA1 1QE—The Rake Auditorium

10.00am—4.30pm

Tuesday 3rd November 2015

Closing date 25th September

FULL DETAILS ON THE NW WEBSITE www.u3asites.org.uk/north-west

Booking form:

Please send this completed form together with your cheque for £10 to:

Donald Walker, 14 Ascot Gardens, Slyne, Lancaster LA2 6JZ

Email dnw281@gmail.com 01524 822290

Please reserve .......place(s) at £10 each for the NW Region Study Day Tuesday 3rd November 2015

I enclose a cheque made payable to North West Region of U3As for £.......... (£10 per person)

Name…………………………………………………..U3A………………………………...

Address………………………………………………………………………………………..

Email…………………………………………………………………………………………...

Telephone………………………………………………………………………………………..

If you are booking more than one place please list the names of all members attending below:

Names:………………………………………………. U3A……………………………………..

Name…………………………………………………..U3A……………………………………

NOVEMBER 3rd

Page 6

Good Governance of your U3A

A workshop for potential and existing committee members.

Wednesday 28th October 2015.

Quaker meeting House, 22 School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BT

1.15pm—5.00pm

This workshop will be useful for all existing or potential committee or sub-committee members

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS – 30th September

Apply online or call Gill 0151 6332796 for further details

CONTACT ABOUT ITEMS IN THIS NEWS LETTER Email nwu3anews@gmail.com